Froch: Not Motivated By DeGale, Didn't Earn His Stripes!

By Edward Chaykovsky

IBF/WBA 'regular' super middleweight champion Carl Froch is not motivated to fight 2008 Olympic gold medal winner James DeGale in January. The fight does little for Froch's legacy, he says, after drawing 80,000 fans for May's rematch with George Groves. DeGale is the mandatory challenger to Froch's IBF title.

Froch may consider DeGale, if the once beaten fighter puts in a very impressive performance on November 22nd when he faces rugged opponent Marco Antonio Periban in Liverpool. Froch is still focused on landing a big opportunity in the United States, against a big name opponent on HBO Pay-Per-View. He would like to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Las Vegas.

"It's not a fight that motivates me if I am being honest and it's one that does not really tick boxes for fans of the sport and the general public," Froch told the Nottingham Post. "That's the feedback I have been getting because they are looking at him saying DeGale lost to George Groves who then lost to Carl Froch."

"Let's face it, my last fight was the biggest in the history of boxing in this country since the war. It was in front of 80,000 people, on the biggest stage possible, and it ended so memorably for me with a fantastic knockout. Facing James DeGale, who has not earned his stripes, is not something that will make me want to get up at 6am in the morning and start running."

"My legacy is worth much more than that because if I am not motivated for a fight, as what happened with Groves in the first meeting, then it shows. But if De Gale goes out and produces a heck of a performance next month and people start saying 'I think DeGale could give Froch a real test' then I'll have a look again. The pressure is all on him."